This specification relates to content selection and distribution.
The Internet provides access to a wide variety of resources. For example, video and/or audio files, as well as web pages for particular subjects or particular news articles are accessible over the Internet. Access to these resources presents opportunities for advertisements to be provided with these resources and search results pages that facilitate identification of these resources. For example, a web page (e.g., a search results page) can include advertisement slots in which advertisements can be presented. These advertisements slots can be defined in the web page or defined for presentation with the web page, for example, in a pop-up window.
Advertisement slots can be allocated to advertisers through an auction. For example, advertisers can provide bids specifying amounts that the advertisers are respectively willing to pay for presentation of their advertisements. In turn, an auction can be performed and the advertisement slots can be allocated to advertisers according to targeting criteria (e.g., targeting keywords) and bids that have been specified by the advertiser. When an advertisement slot for a search results page is being allocated, the advertisement slot can be allocated to one of the advertisers that specified a matching targeting keyword that matches the search query in response to which the search results page is being provided. For example, the advertisement slot can be allocated to the advertiser that specified a matching targeting keyword and provided the highest bid or has a highest auction score (e.g., a score that is computed as a function of a bid and/or advertisement quality measures).